Inspired by the culture of body painting in the Visayas, artist Armand Jake Dayoha paid homage to the ancient art custom.
By RITCHE T. SALGADO
Bulatlat.com
(UPDATED: June 30, 2023; 5:00 a.m.) CEBU CITY — In pre-Hispanic Philippines, locals adorn their bodies with tattoos that depict conquests, faith, life and nature.
Tattoos are more than just aesthetics. They were used to ask favors from gods or to imbue the wearers with the power of gods, especially for the warrior class. They are also meant to immortalize the wearer’s life milestones.
When the Spaniards arrived in the islands, particularly in what is now called the Visayas region, the locals became known as pintados or painted ones because the people they saw were adorned in tattoos, many from head to toe. These pintados were described in the colonizers’ chronicles and illustrated in detail in the 15th century Spanish manuscript called the Boxer Codex.
Inspired by the culture of body painting in the Visayas, artist Armand Jake Dayoha (Instagram: @mr.aramanada) paid homage to the ancient art custom. Introducing his works of art, Dayoha stressed out how Western art influenced local artists, relegating the use of indigenous elements to the margins. Many contemporary works, according to him, “have occasionally veered towards nativist and romantic tendencies.”
“Through my encounters with ethnographic objects of indigenous peoples, I have been captivated by the ornate, decorative and symbolic features that distinguish their works from Western references,” Dayoha said in a statement.
In this collection of 12 works, aside from using sharp geometric figures reminiscent of the ancient body painting tradition of the region, Dayoha also made sure that the works depict the everyday struggles of the ordinary Filipino people. “My work is rooted in collective struggles for human welfare, utilizing these materials to depict contemporary social realities and allowing motifs, patterns, cultural icons, and symbols to assume new significance.”
Hapos, for example, pays “homage to the struggle of the workers overcoming oppressive forces personified by the dog-like figure.” The colors used reflect the ones associated with struggle (e.g., red, black and white).
Inang Bayan, on the other hand, is a reimagining of nationhood, popularly represented by a Filipinized maiden that reflect servitude. The symbol is reimagined by Dayohas as a pregnant woman warrior reminiscent of the brave Pangasinense princess-warrior Urduja. The artist said that this symbolizes “the birth of a nation through the struggle for liberation, which will continue for generations to come.”
A victim of military abduction and torture, Dayoha is not alien to the struggles of ordinary Filipinos. His involvement in development work, particularly as an organizer of health workers in Cebu, exposed him to the lives of struggling Filipinos in the margins. His experience is shown in his works, conscientizing his audiences and art enthusiasts.
“By bridging tradition and the contemporary, I create aesthetics firmly rooted in our history and experiences, fostering a sense of nation, and establishing an identity,” he said.
The exhibit features works in a style reminiscent of the ancient body painting tradition of the region. Some works are muted monochromes and bichromes like Usa Nga Kahig, Usa Nga Tuka (One Scratch, One Peck) while others use colors that loudly proclaim the intended message (e.g. Sabong or Cockfight).
Red, blue, gold and black are the dominant colors, widely available for the indigenous Filipinos and easily accessible in their surroundings.
Palm Grass, a hotel in Cebu, was the exhibit’s venue from June 24 to 30. (DAA) 
